West Ham's Yossi Benayoun 'embarrassed' by antisemitic chants

Yossi Benayoun, the Israeli midfielder in his secdond spell at West Ham, has tweeted his disappointment at the antisemitic chants heard from the away fans at Tottenham. Photograph: Richard Sellers/Sportsphoto/Sportsphoto Ltd./Allstar

West Ham's Israeli midfielder Yossi Benayoun has said he was "embarrassed" by the alleged antisemitic chanting by a section of the club's supporters during their team's Premier League match against Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane on Sunday.

West Ham fans were heard apparently mocking the Holocaust and seen making what appeared to be Nazi salutes during their side's 3-1 defeat. The Metropolitan police has received a complaint about the abuse and on Monday arrested two supporters for the salutes. The two fans have accepted police cautions and one has since been identified by West Ham as a season ticket-holder and banned by the club. "Any other individuals identified can expect a similar swift and robust response," West Ham said.

Benayoun, who is on loan at West Ham from Chelsea, tweeted: "I have a great relationship with the West Ham United supporters, from my first spell at the club and again now I am back on loan here. This why I was very disappointed to hear some of the songs yesterday and it was embarrassing …

" But we need to remember that it was made by a minority group of fans and I'm sure the fa together with west ham United football club will do everything to find and punish them."

The Football Association is being assisted by Spurs and West Ham in its investigation into Sunday's events but the matter could become a criminal one following the intervention of the Met. A Met spokesman said: "We can confirm that a complaint has been received, but we are yet to speak formally with the complainant."

There were also chants by West Ham fans mocking the attacks on Tottenham supporters by Italian supporters in Rome last week prior to the north London club's Europa League match against Lazio. One Tottenham fan, Ashley Mills, was stabbed in the head and leg.

A statement on West Ham's website read: "West Ham United will take the strongest possible action against any of their supporters, including enforcing life bans from the club, that are found guilty of behaviour which is categorically not condoned by West Ham United.

"During the 46 games in the Championship last season, West Ham United had zero arrests for racism or violence, so while we are surprised to see such reports today, we will examine any available evidence of such conduct thoroughly and take the appropriate action."

A Tottenham spokesman said: "We are currently compiling a full report for the Football Association and shall be submitting this with all our evidence including relevant CCTV footage."